


First Sight

by ellacj



Series: 52 Weeks of Swan Queen [18]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff, idk i've been writing a lot of fluff lately, so here have some more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 21:03:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3910576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellacj/pseuds/ellacj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Coffee is a language in itself."</p><p>-Jackie Chan</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Sight

The Bean Pot isn’t any big business.

They only have one location, but it’s possibly the best location a coffee shop could have. It’s placed just off of the NYU campus, making it a hotspot for students to come in and have some coffee while they study and do their homework.

And for some, it’s a place of work.

Regina’s worked at The Bean Pot for almost three years by the time she starts her senior year at the U. At first, it was just a way to pay her tuition. Then, it paid her rent. And now, it’s become almost like a second home. Her coworkers are her family, and every customer that comes in is an opportunity, someone upon whom she can practice the skill of being impressive.

There are a few regulars, and when Regina sees them approach the building she already has their order written down and in the pot. Some people have never been there before and she delights in walking through the menu with them, teaching them the difference between a ‘large’ and a ‘venti’. And sometimes it’s her mother and Regina dashes to the back and makes Ruby or Cruella deal with her.

And then _she_ comes in.

She’s all blonde curls and sharp green eyes, all charming smiles and a swift wink at Ruby placing various drinks on the service counter. “Working hard, I see,” she calls, earning an eyeroll Ruby clearly thinks Regina doesn’t see.

“You two know each other?” Regina asks as the girl approaches the cash register.

“Yeah, we were roommates freshman year. Turns out we get along a lot better when we’re not living together.”

Regina smirks. “I know exactly what you mean. What’ll it be today?”

“Medium dark roast, two sugar, no cream.” The girl arches an eyebrow, opening her mouth as though to say more but seeming to think better of it. “That’s all,” she mutters.

“And a name?”

“Emma.” She smiles. It’s a good name for someone like her. Simple, yet sophisticated enough to get by in the professional world. And she smiles that million-watt grin Regina finds herself more and more captivated by with every passing moment as she hands over a ten-dollar bill for a six-dollar coffee. “Keep the rest.”

Regina frowns. “That’s over a sixty percent tip.”

Emma shrugs. “You work hard here. Don’t tell me you don’t think you deserve it.” With a glance down at Regina’s chest, her grin shifts to a sly smirk and she looks back up to meet Regina’s gaze with slightly hooded eyes. “I’ll see you around, Regina.”

Regina smiles weakly. She _really_ hopes Emma can’t see her shaking hands as she waves. “Have a great day,” she replies softly, resorting to her standard company line as the woman flounces away.

Sometimes, when she sees a girl she’s interested in, Regina will write her number on the coffee cup when she calls out the girl’s name. She’s only ever gotten one call, and from a girl who thought it was Cruella’s number, but she hasn’t given up. But Emma… Emma’s different than all those girls. Even now, Regina can tell she’s special. No, she deserves better than a phone number written on the side of a coffee cup – she deserves the pursuit, the thrill of the chase.

And that’s exactly what she’s going to get.

The next guy who comes up to order, Regina makes his coffee before she even starts on Emma’s. A little extra time spent hanging around the shop won’t hurt her, right? The does the same with the next person. However, when two coffees have been called out that were ordered after hers, Emma starts to look a bit suspicious and Regina hauls out the sugar and the coffee beans.

“Emma,” Regina calls, and her heart flutters with the ease of the name coming out of her mouth. She likes the way Emma’s name tastes on her tongue and the way her voice sounds when she pronounces it. Emma approaches, taking her coffee with a questioning smile. Regina tries to speak around the electric rush she feels when their fingers brush ever so slightly around the cup. “Sorry about that. We had to open up a new can of beans.”

Emma shakes her head. “It’s totally fine. I like hanging out here.” she smiles. “I wish I could stay, but I’ve got to get to class.”

“You go to NYU?”

“Yes.”

Regina grins. _Today must be my day_. “Me too. Maybe I’ll see you around campus sometime.”

“That’d be nice.” Emma turns to go, glancing back and giving a little wave over her shoulder that makes Regina’s knees melt. A glance over at Ruby tells her that the whole world already knows what she’s just now realizing. She’s already way too deep in… whatever with Emma, and as the door to the shop closes behind her Ruby wiggles her eyebrows and flounces over to where Regina stands with red cheeks.

“You gonna ask her out or what?” Ruby asks.

Regina sighs. “Please. I just met her. I don’t even know her last name.”

“It’s Swan. Now, for god’s sake, ask her out. Trust me, she needs it just as bad as you do.”

“Hey!” But of course she can’t deny the truth in Ruby’s statement; she hasn’t been on a date in months, and with graduation fast approaching, she wants a college romance to remember for the rest of her life. “Maybe I’ll ask her. If she comes in again.”

Ruby smirks. “She will. Don’t worry.”

 

Cruella and Ursula are _disgusting_. Don’t get her wrong; it’s nice to see two people so wrapped up in love that they can’t see their surroundings, but Regina could do without watching the makeout sessions so intense that they end up lying down across the back booth with Cruella straddling her girlfriend. If she wanted to watch porn she’d do it at home. Even still, she doesn’t stop them, because why would she, if it makes them happy? She’s not going to be the one standing in the way of love.

Speaking of love – even though it’s _definitely not love_ – Emma walks through the door as if on cue, and Ruby’s elbow in Regina’s side is the only thing that tears her away from staring. “Emma,” she says instead, praying to whatever deity she doesn’t believe in that Emma doesn’t hear the squeak in her voice. “The same as yesterday?”

“Yeah. And, uh, how’s the cake?” Emma gestures to the cake in the display, three-quarters of it gone already.

Regina grins. “I’ve heard a lot of good feedback about it. I make it myself from one of my favorite recipes.”

“Yeah, I’ll get a slice. Might as well.” Emma smiles. “I mean, anything you make has to be good, right?”

Regina’s face grows hot, and again she prays and prays that it isn’t bright red in front of the girl she may or may not be falling in love with. “$8.64,” she says quickly, accepting Emma’s credit card and swiping it in the machine.

Again she keeps Emma in the shop as long as possible, throwing other orders ahead of hers as many times as she can before suspicion starts to grow and she resigns herself to making the order.

“Emma,” she calls, again reveling in the sound of her own voice speaking – no, _singing_ because Emma’s name is a symphony, a beautiful melody controlled by her own tongue and lips.

Emma grabs her drink and her cake, but she doesn’t leave the counter just yet. “So the girl eating the other girl’s face in the booth,” she says conversationally, as though discussing the weather or a recent football game. “Doesn’t she work here?”

Regina resists the urge to roll her eyes. Cruella and Ursula really need to learn to control themselves for the sake of the business. “Yes, that’s Cruella and her girlfriend. I keep telling them they need to keep it private, but-”

“No, I think it’s sweet.” Emma smiles, glancing behind her at the spot where the two are going at it, completely oblivious. “I don’t know, I guess I’ve always wanted something pure like that.”

Regina tilts her head thoughtfully and crosses her arms over her chest. “They really do love each other so much more strongly than most couples I’ve met.”

“See, it’s nice.” Emma grins. “I’m gonna go eat some of this cake I’ve heard so much about.”

“You won’t be disappointed. It’s an excellent recipe.”

Regina sneaks glances at Emma whenever she can, overanalyzes every facial expression, every movement of her hand, every time she looks out the window until Ruby finally calls her out on it and she tears her gaze away with a blush. She’s not sure what it is, but something about Emma’s got her going crazy.

For some reason, Emma doesn’t leave when she finishes her cake, nor when she throws away her coffee cup. She simply pulls out her laptop and starts typing something – a paper, Regina assumes. It’s getting to the point in the year where final projects are weighing on everyone’s mind.

And two hours later when Regina finally clocks out, Emma is still there typing away on her computer. Two deep breaths, a thumbs-up from Ruby, a glance to where Cruella and Ursula are somehow still going at it, and Regina makes her way over to Emma’s table and slides into the seat across from her. “Tough paper?” she asks, smiling softly as Emma grins at her over the screen of the laptop.

“No, actually.” Emma laughs to herself. “I was brainstorming.”

“What were you brainstorming?”

“Ways to ask you out without looking stupid.”

If hearts could fly Regina’s would; would break free from her body and sprout wings and take off into the sky to soar above the clouds. It’s like the adrenaline rush on a roller coaster just before the first big drop, like the caffeine high after drinking too much coffee, like the moment you realize you’re in love to last forever and longer.

“What did you settle on?”

Emma shrugs and closes her laptop. “I never came up with a good one.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way.”

“Guess so. You got a pen and paper?”

Regina frowns, but at Emma’s raised eyebrow she simply digs in her purse to pull out a pen and the notepad she never leaves home without. There’s a brief moment of suspense while Emma scribbles on the pad, but when she finally passes it back Regina can’t help but laugh out loud.

“So?” Emma grins. “What, when you said old-fashioned I just assumed you meant first grade. So check _yes_ or _no_ to being my girlfriend and we can all move on from this embarrassing moment.”

“You’re ridiculous.” With a smirk, Regina places an exaggerated check mark in the _yes_ box, pressing the paper to her lips to leave a perfect red outline of her lips before passing it back to Emma. “I have the day off tomorrow. You can take me out then.”

Emma’s smile grows impossibly wider. “Yeah, okay. Tomorrow’s perfect.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Regina stands up, leaning down to press a ghost of a kiss to Emma’s cheek before walking out the door with her heart racing and her cheeks burning. She has a date with _Emma Swan_ tomorrow. And somehow, there’s this feeling within her that Emma could be it. Her search for love could end right now in her senior year of college with a blonde bombshell in a coffee shop, and she finds herself astoundingly okay with that. After her date with Emma, she might be set for life.

As long as she can find something to wear.


End file.
